Barreto strikes to earn Bagan a point against Sporting

Md Sporting opened the scoring just three minutes into the match, Goutam Thakur hitting the back of the net after a deft pass from Theodore Sunday. Bagan, no stranger these days to trailing for most part of a match, fought back through trusted lieutenant Jose Barreto. The Brazilian slammed his critics shut with a stunning 24th minute volley strike to bring Bagan back into the match.

The opening goal showed how heavily Md Sporting rely on their foreigners. The goal went to Thakur, but all the credit for setting it up would go to the duo of Mike Okoro and Sunday. Barely had the Bagan defence settled down when the crafty Okoro sent out a pass to Sunday in the goal box. Sunday, instead of taking a shot, kept the ball and drew the defence and ’keeper Shilton Paul out of position before pushing the ball from the right to an unmarked Thakur. Bagan reacted with alarm, pounding the Md Sporting goal area, but were frustrated everytime by the defence and the ’keeper Tharangachan.

Finally, it was old warhorse Barreto who drew parity and brought relief to a visibly distraught coach Karim Bencherifa. Barreto took a pass from Malsawm Tluanga on the volley, tossed it up, and fired it on target with a calculated right-footer. But that was as far as the score-keepers were bothered, as the lively start graduated into a whimper of a finish, with plenty of opportunities being wasted from both teams.